Run For Your Life
by Taste of Mediocrity
Summary: Santana Lopez is in an abusive marriage. When she discovers something shocking, she leaves taking her two children with her. She moves to a small town and meets one Quinn Fabray. Will Quinn be able to break down Santana's walls? I suck at summaries. Don't judge the story based on this, give it a chance please. Thank you.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**This is my very first story. Please let me know what you think about it. Sorry for any mistakes. Also the translations may be wrong.**

**Anyway, this is going to be a Quinntana fic. Quinn does not appear in this chapter and may not appear for a few more. I'm writing this as I go lol**

**I'm not much of a writer so this probably sucks. Again please review. ****J**

**Thank you.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"SANTANA!" His booming voice shocks me out of my trance. I immediately run downstairs not wanting to keep him waiting for too long.

"Y-yes?" I answered nervously, scared to know what he's so angry about. It takes a lot for me to not just curl up in a corner whenever he yells at me.

"Why aren't the children bathed and ready?! I told you we were meeting my parents for dinner at 7! What time is it?"

I open my mouth to answer but not fast enough so he asks again, this time angrier.

"WHAT TIME IS IT?!"

"It's 6:03." I mutter keeping my head down. I don't want to make him madder so I immediately apologize and turn to go get the kids ready. "I'm s-sorry, I'll go and g-"

Before I can get to the bottom of the stairs he grabs my arm hard and squeezes. "We better not be late." He says it so eerily calm that I pale instantly and my eyes begin to water.

"Mami I want candy!" I quickly wipe my eyes as I hear Callie yell running towards me.

"No mija. We have to get you and your brother ready to see bunic and bunica." I say as I pick her up and carry her to the bathroom. "Costa, sweetie, come on it's time to get dressed." I call over to Callie's twin brother who is sitting in the middle of the room playing with his toys.

They are my little angels. Costica and Callista, my sweet babies. They are the only reason I haven't given up. I'm going to get them out of here. I just have to wait until football season starts. He plays for the Miami Dolphins. I figured I'd leave while he's at one of his away games. I've been saving up a little money here and there in small amounts so Adrian doesn't notice. If he ever found out, he'd probably kill me. I also have the trust funds that my abuela left for me and the kids before she died. I don't have access to it until my 25th birthday which is next year. Adrian doesn't know about the trust funds and I'm so glad he doesn't.

"Mami is daddy mad at you?" Costa asks quietly, looking at me through his dark hair with his piercing green eyes, as I bathe them both. He's always worrying about me. I swear he knows what's going on in my head sometimes. It's scary.

"No baby. He's just excited to see his mom and dad."

"Will bunic give me candy?! He always has candy mami!" Callie exclaims.

"I don't know sweetheart. If he does have candy you'll have to ask daddy first if you can eat it." I tell her even though Adrian hardly ever tells either of the kids no. Especially not to Callie. He can never say no to her big brown eyes.

"Okay." She says with a big smile on her face knowing that she's going to get candy.

I finish getting the twins dressed and hurry down the stairs with them trailing behind me. I check the time to see that it is 6:41. Adrian is waiting at the door with a blank expression on his face. We make our way to the car and I silently pray that we get there on time.

* * *

When we arrive at his parents' home I immediately glance at the clock on the dashboard. It's 7:01. We're late. I take a chance and look over at Adrian and I can see in his eyes that he is angry. I swallow the lump in my throat and blink away the tears that are forming. He gets out of the car and slams the door, leaving me to get the twins.

I take a deep breath and get the kids. We head inside and the twins run to their grandparents. Florina and Vladimir Dumitrescu are some of the sweetest people I have ever met. It baffles me that their son is such a monster.

"Sorry we're late. Santana here just seems to take forever to get ready. I swear she changed her outfit at least four times." Adrian says while smiling at me like he adores me. He puts on this act any time we're in public. He should have become an actor instead of a football player. "She looked great in all of them in my opinion but you know sometimes she's a bit picky. Right baby?"

"Umm y-yeah, I just couldn't decide." I answer quickly with a nervous smile.

"Oh nonsense Adrian. We don't have to start at exactly 7:00 and sweetheart you look just as gorgeous as always." Florina says to me with her thick Romanian accent.

"Yeah, I mean if I wasn't married I'd defi-", Vladimir starts before he's cut off by his wife.

"Vlad!" She yells while playfully swatting at him.

"Ouch! I was kidding Flo. You know you're the only woman for me." He says while he winking at me. Flo hits him again, mumbling something in Romanian and I can't help but smile in aww at how sweet and playful their relationship is.

"Bunic! Do you have candy?" Callie asks.

"Callie, sweetie, ask daddy first." I remind her.

"Daddy can I please have candy? Pleeeaaassseeee?" She begs.

"Hmm I don't know. Maybe if you give me a biiiiiiig kiss." Adrian says. He's so nice to the children it still surprises me after 5 years.

She happily obliges. "Now can I have candy?" Adrian nods his head and she practically tackles Vlad when he pulls some candy out of his pocket. He holds out a piece for Costa as well.

"Do you need any help with dinner?" I ask Flo as she heads into the kitchen.

"Sure dear. I always accept free help." She laughs. "So the twins are starting school this year right?"

"Yep. They start kindergarten next month in August."

"You're going to have so much free time you won't know what to do with yourself. Have you thought about working?" She asks.

"I know. It's going to be so lonely with the kids at school." I sadly reply. I was going to answer her question but as soon as I opened my mouth, Adrian's voice makes me snap it shut.

"No she hasn't thought about working ma. We've been talking about having another baby." I almost dropped the plate I was holding when those words came out of his mouth. I turned around to busy myself with silverware so Flo couldn't see the shocked look on my face.

"O doamne! That's wonderful!" Flo states. "I've always wanted a bunch of grandchildren. Oh what if you have twins again? That would be amazing!"

She keeps rambling as we finish making the rest of the plates. We bring the food to the table and begin eating. Adrian and his father are sitting at opposite ends of the table. Flo is to Vlad's left while Costa is on his right next to me. Callie is on Adrian's right, directly in front of me.

I eat quietly, only speaking when spoken to. My mind is racing. I'm still stuck on what Adrian said to his mother. I can't bring another child into this world with him. I just can't.

Once dinner was finished, I helped wash and put the dishes away. Adrian and I said our goodbyes and headed home.

* * *

When we pull up in our driveway and I remember that I made us late. I don't even try to look at Adrian. I know he's angry. I reach for the door handle and he grabs my forearm and squeezes it hard.

"You will put the kids to bed and then you'll meet me in the basement. Make it quick. You know I don't want to wait long." He says. Unlike earlier, I can hear the anger in his voice this time. I nod quickly and get out.

I get the kids and put them to bed. They were already asleep in the car so I just had to change them into their pajamas and tuck them in. I do it as fast as possible and make my way to the basement.

As I walk down the stairs to the basement, I see him standing in the middle of the room with his arms cross and an angry look on his face. I mentally prepare myself for what I know is coming next.

"So do you want to explain to me why the kids weren't ready to go when they should have been?" He asks.

"I-I took too long in the shower." I lie while staring at the ground. I couldn't tell him I was thinking about how I was going to get me and the kids out of here for obvious reasons. "But your parents didn't mind that we were a little late."

I regretted my words as soon as they came out of my mouth. His nostrils flared and his eyes bulged as he walked towards me. He backhanded me. I fell to the ground clutching my face.

"CATEA PROST! My parents didn't mind?! It isn't about them minding! It's about being punctual and fucking polite!"

He pulled me up by my hair and threw me against the wall. I laid there and he walked over and kicked me. Then he grabbed me and punched me in the stomach.

"Now get cleaned up and meet me in the bedroom. I meant what I said earlier. You are not going to work." He says calmly as if we were just having a civil conversation. He walks out and leaves me lying on the floor.

I lay there in pain for a bit before I go take a shower. Luckily he has a shower installed in the basement because he doesn't want the kids to see me after he hits me.

As I'm showering I finally let my tears fall. I think about how I ended up in this situation.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

_"Fuck." I mutter under my breath. I have no idea where I am and this map isn't making any sense._

_I'm walking around staring at this map trying to find the mathematics building. It's my first day at Arizona State and I'm already late to my first class. I'm still walking with my face in the campus map when I walk into something big and solid._

_"What the fu-"_

_"Sorry are you alright?" I looked up to see green eyes studying me._

_"Yeah sorry about that, I was trying to find the math building using this seemingly useless map." I answered._

_"No problem. You're actually pretty close. I can show you where it is if you'd like." The green eyed boy said to me. "I'm Adrian by the way." He smiled._

_"I'm Santana." I replied with a shy smile._

* * *

_After he showed me to my class, which I passed twice on my journey, we exchanged numbers and eventually started dating. He was a senior and one of the best offensive linemen in the country and was majoring in Sports Medicine. I was studying to get my bachelor's degree in Mathematics._

_Toward the end of my freshman year, I realized that our relationship wasn't going anywhere so I was going to end things with him. Then I found out I was pregnant. I wasn't sure what to do. I called my parents and told them the news. They weren't too thrilled at first but became excited at the idea of being grandparents. I told them that I wanted to break up with Adrian but they weren't having it. They didn't want me to have to raise a child on my own. They told me that I needed to tell him and that we needed to get married. I would not be an unwed mother. Oddly enough, Adrian was on board with the idea of marriage. He wanted to marry me as soon as possible._

* * *

_We got married when I was 3 months pregnant. Adrian graduated and was drafted to the Miami Dolphins. We moved to Miami shortly after his graduation. Then Adrian became very controlling. He told me I was done with school. 'You don't need a degree to take care of my children.' Those were his exact words. I wasn't allowed to go anywhere without him. Except for the bathroom, which quickly became my sanctuary. It was the only place I had to myself for however long I was able to hide in there. He would get very angry sometimes but he never laid a hand on me._

_The first time he hit me was a few months after the twins were born. He wanted to have sex but I wasn't in the mood so I told him I wasn't feeling well. He slapped me and slammed me on the bed and had his way with me. I knew he was drunk because I smelled the alcohol on his breath. I just tried to close my eyes until it was over but he was too rough. The pain was too much and I eventually passed out._

_I woke up sore the next morning. Adrian made me breakfast and apologized to me. He moved in to give me a kiss on my temple and I froze. As soon as I was done with breakfast, I ran upstairs to the bathroom and locked the door. I leaned against it and slid down to the floor. I sat there and cried until I heard Adrian leave for practice._

* * *

**Translations**

**Bunic/bunica – grandpa/grandma**

**O doamne – Oh my god**

**Catea prost – Stupid bitch**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

**Wow I'm not an emotional person at all but these reviews are making me feel things so thank you all.**

**To the guest that asked if I was Romanian, no I'm not. I somehow forgot to mention that Adrian is Romanian and I used google to translate the stuff that I needed translated lol so some of it may be wrong. Sorry if it is.**

**Also, I made a few changes to chapter 1. They're not very big changes but someone asked what school Santana went to and whether she finished college so I addressed all that.**

**Now let's hope you all like this chapter as much as the first one.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

I wake up and immediately reach for the painkillers that I know are waiting for me with a glass of water on the bedside table. I swallow the pills then chug the water. I slowly make my way out of bed and into the kitchen where I know another 'apology breakfast' is waiting for me.

Costa is at the table cutting up his pancakes as neatly as possible while Callie is stuffing her face with as much food as she possibly can.

"Slow down angel, your food isn't going anywhere." I hear Adrian tell her. "Good morning beautiful." He says to me but I don't look at him. I keep my eyes focused on the kids.

"Good morning." I smile at the kids. "Good morning babies."

"Morning mami." Costa looks up at me with a toothy smile.

"I'm not a baby mami!" Callie pouts.

"Oh you're not?" Adrian asks. She shakes her head in response because her mouth is too full to speak. "That's too bad because I had a surprise for my babies today but I guess it's just for Costa now."

"No daddy! I want a surprise! I want a surprise! I'm still a baby, look!" She starts sucking her thumb.

"Callie don't suck your thumb." I try to say sternly but I can't help but smile at her antics.

"What's the surprise daddy?" Costa asks.

"Well, since daddy gets to stay home with you and mami today, I was thinking we could all go do something fun." Adrian looks over to me. "What do you think sweetheart?"

"Umm well Sarah and I planned on taking the kids to the park today. I didn't know you would be home. I-I'll just call her to reschedule." I reply looking down at my plate. Sarah is our neighbor. It's been a while since I spent time with her. She and her husband Sam have a 4 year old son named Jackson. They're a nice enough couple but Adrian isn't too fond of Sam. He thinks he stares at me too long whenever we see them. He also thinks Sarah talks too much.

"No it's fine. I'll just join you." He says as I hear him get up from the table.

"Yay! We gonna go to the park!" Callie cheers and Costa smiles but it falters as he seems to notice something.

"What happened to your lip mami? You fell?" My eyes widen at the question. The kids aren't ever supposed to see any of my cuts and bruises.

"Santana, can you help me find something in the basement." Adrian says as he walks out of the kitchen.

"C-coming." I reply nervously. I look over to the kids and say "When you're finished go up to room and play until it's time to get dressed ok?" They both nod and I kiss them on top of their heads as I leave.

* * *

Adrian was upset that I made plans with Sarah without his permission. He yelled at me for a while and promised that he would deal with me when we get back from the park.

"Get the kids ready." He tells me. I nod and head towards the stairs. Before I can reach the bottom step he grabs me by my stomach where he knows it's bruised and squeezes hard. I whimper as he turns me around and pulls me into a rough kiss.

When he lets go, I walk up the stairs as fast as I possibly can without running. I look for the twins and find them in Costa's room coloring.

"Costa pick out what you want to where while I bathe your sister." They both look up at me with a confused expression on their faces. Costa nods and Callie and I go through the door that connects their rooms. I let her pick an outfit for the day and we head to the bathroom.

"Mami your eyes are raining! Did you get a boo boo?" Callie asks me with a worried look. My eyes widen as I reach up and touch my cheek and realize that I am in fact crying.

"No mija. I'm just really happy. It's happy rain baby." I reply with what I hope is a smile. The kids are never supposed to see me cry. Ever. My response seems to excite her and she starts to splash around in the bath. "Calmate sweetie."

"Sorry. Why are you happy mami?"

"Because I have the best and cutest kids ever!" I say while tickling her, this time with a genuine smile on my face.

Once I finished bathing the twins I hopped in the shower. I must have forgotten to lock the door because I heard the door open and then the shower door. Adrian gets in behind me and starts kissing down my neck and back. I try to keep myself from trembling while he runs his hands up and down my sides. They eventually end on my breasts and he squeezes them hard.

"W-what about the kids?" I ask hoping that he'll stop.

"They're fine. I told them to stay in their rooms and play until it's time to go. Don't worry about them." He says as he brings his right hand down to my clit and rubs it slowly. "I know you want me baby. Are you ready for me?" He asks as he rubs himself against my ass.

He doesn't wait for an answer. He pushes me against the shower wall and slams himself inside of me. I hiss in pain but I know not to make more noise than that. He continues thrusting into me fast and hard. He grabs my hair and yanks my head back hard. His thrusts become more frantic and uneven so I know he's almost done.

After one long and hard thrust, he empties himself inside of me. He pulls out panting and places a kiss on my shoulder and then my cheek. He turns me around to look at him.

"You know I love you right baby? More than anything." I just nod and he places a soft kiss on my lips and gets out of the shower. "We're leaving soon."

* * *

We met Sarah and Jackson at the park at around 11:30. She was already there pushing Jackson in one of the swings. He's got the biggest smile I've ever seen on a kid. It takes up nearly half of his face. He definitely got that from Sam. He has the biggest mouth I've ever seen on a human being. It's actually pretty distracting whenever I talked to him.

Jackson's attention is on us when he hears Costa call his name. His smile got even bigger if that's at all possible. Sarah looked over and smiled as well. She took Jackson off the swing and walked over to us. She gives me a hug and I flinch a little when her forearm presses on the side of my stomach where Adrian kicked me. If she noticed she doesn't show it. She greets Adrian politely.

"Hey Sarah." Adrian nods to her. "I'm gonna watch the kids play." He tells me before kissing my cheek and walking towards the playground after the kids.

"We haven't done this in so long. Have you been avoiding me because of what happened last time?" She jokes with a playful smirk that quickly turns into a frown when I don't answer. "Come on San that was like 3 months ago." I look over at the kids and she follows my line of vision then she starts to panic. "Oh my God! Did you tell Adrian? Is that why he's here? He doesn't want me alone with you anymore? Is he gonna tell Sam? Shit shit shit shit shit!" She mutters under her breath.

"What? No! I didn't tell Adrian. He'd k-…" I stop myself before it's too late.

"He'd what San?"

"Umm nothing. He'd be so upset and hurt."

"Right." She says eying me suspiciously. "Look, I'm sorry that I kissed you. I was a little bit drunk and mad at Sam." She grabs my hand and looks me in the eyes. I tried to look away and focus on something else but I just couldn't. "And you were just there for me. I didn't mean to freak you out or anything. I'm really sorry." She finishes with a sad smile.

I get this weird feeling in my stomach. It's the same feeling I got the night she kissed me.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

_I had just finished putting the kids to bed and decided I wanted to watch a movie. I looked through my DVD collection and picked out Sweeney Todd. I love singing along with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. I popped the DVD in and plopped on the couch. As soon as I pressed play I heard a knock at the door. It couldn't be Adrian, he was supposed to be gone the whole week, I thought to myself. As I got closer to the door I heard what sounded like sobs. I checked the peephole and saw Sarah standing there crying her eyes out._

_"__Sarah, what's wrong? Are you ok? Where's Jackson?" I ask as I open the door and pull her inside. "Where's Sam? What happened?"_

_She just kept crying so I pulled her into the living room and down on the couch with me. I just sat there and held her until she calmed down enough to speak._

_"__Sam is an asshole." She mumbles. Her voice muffled by my shoulder._

_"__Why do you say that love?"_

_"__I asked him if he could cut back his hours at the office so that he could spend more time with me and his son and he got all pissy. Telling me that he has to work so many hours to support my ridiculous shopping habits. Then he insulted my cooking. A-and he said I'm a bad mother!" She started crying again._

_"__Hey shhh. It's ok. You know you're not a bad mother. Jackson loves you so much. You're practically raising him yourself."_

_"__San I think he's cheating on me." She said while sniffling. "What's wrong with me? Am I not pretty enough? Didn't I shed enough weight after I had Jackson?"_

_"__Hey, look at me." I said lifting her chin up to look at me. "You are an amazing mother. You're smart and funny. And you're beautiful Sarah. I doubt that there is anyone who disagrees with me on that. And if Sam can't see that then you don't nee-"_

_I was cut off by her lips crashing into mine. I sat that there unmoving and in shock before I closed my eyes and started kissing her back. The kiss was so much more passionate and gentle than what I was used to. Adrian never kissed me like this. It felt like my stomach was doing somersaults and backflips. It was an amazing feeling._

_I snapped back to reality when I felt her hands in my hair. I pulled back from the kiss and just stared at her. She smiled at me and I pushed her off of me and ran into the bathroom._

_"__Santana.." She called after me. She knocked on the bathroom door. "San. Please come out. I'm s-"_

_"__I-I think you should go Sarah."_

_"__San"_

_"__Just go!" I shouted, then continued barely above a whisper. "Please."_

* * *

"Sarah its fine. I've just been spending a lot of time with the kids because they start school next month and I wanted to spend as much time as I can with them." I return her smile. "I'm over it." I lied. "So we don't need to discuss it anymore."

She nods in response and turns to watch Jackson play.

"Mami! Daddy says we gonna get pizza!" Callie runs over and tells me excitedly.

"That's great baby. Where's your brother?"

"He's inside the big slide. He doesn't wanna come out. He didn't even listen to daddy." My head snaps to the slide immediately. I see Adrian at the bottom of the slide probably telling Costa to come down.

As I approach them I can hear Adrian raising his voice.

"Costica, come down right now!"

"I can get him." I say timidly. He turns around to glare at me. "It scares him when you yell."

"Whatever." He huffs and takes Callie to the car.

"Hey mijo it's mami." I say quietly so I don't frighten him. "Come on slide down so we can get pizza. I bet daddy will let you get your favorite kind." I hear a sniffle and immediately start to worry. "Baby are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"N-no." He replies. "I'm scared mami. It's too high." He starts to cry harder now and it breaks my heart.

"Ok baby, what if I come up and go down with you? Will you go down then?"

"I dunno."

"Come on baby I'll protect you and keep you safe. It'll be fun."

"You p-promise?"

"I promise baby." I say as climb the ladder to the slide and Costa is sitting there with his knees against his chest. "Come on. Sit in my lap and we'll go down."

He does as I say and I count to three and we slide down. He starts to laugh when he feels the butterflies in his stomach.

"See it wasn't so bad huh?"

"No it was fun!" He exclaims.

"I told you. Now come on let's go get pizza." I pick him up and carry him to the car where Callie and Adrian are waiting.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Sorry about the ending of this one it kind of sucks. Also sorry for taking so long with this. I actually finished it way earlier but my internet was being a major dick and then I got drunk so I forgot to post it until now. Hopefully my other chapters will be up a lot sooner but no promises because I don't have any idea how this story is going to play out. I'm just going with the flow.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

**Sorry it's taken so long. I've just been really busy and out of town and whatnot. Also it takes a few days for my creative juices to get flowing and when they do, it's in a jumbled mess and I end up writing a bunch of nonsense and I have to figure out how to make it work so my updates may not be as frequent as some of you would like. So sorry in advance.**

**Quinn should be in the next chapter and I'll try not to make you wait too long for that. Thanks for the reviews. **

**Feel free to PM me questions/suggestions/maybe for a chat/anything ****J**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**_1 Month Later_**

I bid farewell to everyone as they leave with a forced smile. I know that once the last person leaves, I'm in trouble. Adrian is furious about what happened earlier.

* * *

**_Earlier That Day_**

_Adrian's teammates are over having a get-together before the season starts to get to know the newly traded and scouted. The twins are running around playing with his teammates' children._

_I was in the kitchen enjoying a friendly conversation with Andrew, the team's kicker. He was helping me prepare snacks for the children. I like talking to him. He's one of the few players that I can actually stand because he's very polite and doesn't act like an idiot. He's the perfect gentlema_**_n._**

_"__Yo Doom!" I hear one of the new additions to the team shout across the backyard. His teammates call him Doom because they had trouble pronouncing his last name so they just stopped after the first syllable. If only they knew how fitting that nickname was for him. "If I didn't know any better I'd think Santana was Drew's wife instead of yours."_

_My heart stops as the rest of the team laughs at what was supposed to be a joke. I knew I was in trouble the second he finished that sentence. I send Andrew out with the snacks and start cleaning up the mess in the kitchen. I chance a look out the window while I'm at the sink and see Adrian glaring at me. If looks could kill, I'd already be in an urn above the fireplace._

_I look away and continue cleaning. I avoid being alone with him for the rest of the day so that I can at least enjoy the rest of the barbecue. I know that my punishment is going to be worse than anything because I've embarrassed him in front of his teammates no less._

* * *

I headed upstairs to check on the twins to make sure they were sleeping alright. Callie was sprawled out across her bed with her blanket twisted up in a ball at her feet. She's such a wild sleeper that no matter how well I tuck her in she always ends up with her blanket at the bottom of her bed. I gave her a peck on her cheek before pulling the blanket out over her again.

I peeked into Costa's room once I was done. He was still neatly tucked in. He hardly ever moved when he was asleep. I pushed some hair off his forehead and gave him a kiss before I made my exit.

As soon as I closed the door and turned into the hallway, I was met with my seething husband. He didn't even wait to go to the basement.

He grabs my arms and slams me against the wall, my head and back make contact with a loud thud. "What the hell were you fucking thinking?! Huh?"

I can practically see smoke coming out of his ears and nose like a raging bull. I don't think I've ever seen him this angry.

"I-I didn't do anything." I managed to get out before his hand latched onto my neck. Before I could even register what was happening, I felt his hand connect with my cheek.

"You didn't do anything?!" He asked incredulously. "You were practically fucking throwing yourself at Andrew!"

"I didn't… I w-wasn't." I stuttered through tears. He punches me in my side and I bite my lip to hold in the yelp that threatened to escape my mouth.

The punches and slaps just kept coming. I was begging and pleading for him to stop until finally I couldn't take anymore. I decided to try and fight back. The look in his eyes when I hit him back was enough to scare a Marine. The next thing I know, I'm tumbling down the stairs.

"MAMI!" I hear as I reach the bottom. I roll over and see Adrian staring at me while Costa is crying his eyes out and slamming his tiny fists into the back of Adrian's legs. Adrian just pushes him back and leaves. He didn't even spare me a glance when he walked by.

I get up and immediately feel a sharp pain in my right arm. I ignore it as I rush up the stairs to Costa and gather him up in my uninjured arm. I hold him as close as possible and try to calm him down.

"Shh, it's okay mijo. Mami's okay." I keep telling him everything is okay until he finally calms down.

"Baby I need you to wake your sister up for me. Can you do that?" He nods and rushes off to wake up Callie. I swear that girl could sleep through a tornado in the middle of her room.

* * *

The twins and I go next door to Sarah's house. I knock on the door and pray they're not asleep yet. About a minute later the door is opened by a sleepy Sarah.

"San?" She asked confused. She rubs her eyes and sees the state I'm in and her jaw drops. "Oh my god! Santana what happened?!"

"I fell down the stairs and I think I may have broken my arm." I state calmly. "Do you think you could give me a ride to the hospital?"

"Y-yeah sure. Let me just grab my coat." She returns and sees the twins looking exhausted. "Umm do you want them to stay here?"

"No." I reply instantly. "No it's fine they can come."

"Alright. Hey where's Adrian? How come he couldn't take you?" She asks as we head to the hospital.

"Uhh he's not home."

The rest of the ride is silent. Callie fell asleep in the backseat while Costa is in my lap clinging to me for dear life. I rubbed his back and kissed his forehead as he sniffled into my neck.

* * *

We're sitting in the emergency room when suddenly Sarah places her hand on my shoulder and I nearly jump out of my seat.

"Shit sorry is your shoulder hurt too?"

"No it's fine, you just scared me." I reply shakily.

"San what really happened?" She asks, now fully awake, after her eyes scanned my body.

"I already told you, Sarah. I fell down the stairs." I said while keeping my eyes glued to the floor.

"So the falling down the stairs made that handprint on your neck too? Santana, if Adrian di-" She was cut off by the nurse calling my name. I got up and tried to put Costa down but he wouldn't let me go.

"Baby I have to go so the doctor can make me better okay? I'll be right back I promise." He just shook his head no and tightened his hold on me.

"Mijo please. I need you to look after Callie and Sarah for me." I whispered. "Protect them." He pulled back slightly and looked in my eyes for what seemed like forever then he nodded and gave me a kiss. He then sat next to Sarah and his sleeping sister.

* * *

"So Ms. Lopez would you like to tell me what happened?" The doctor asks as she takes my vitals. I used my maiden name because people always recognize Dumitrescu as it's not very common.

"Yeah, I umm, I was walking down the hall when I tripped and fell down the stairs." The doctor hums in response, looking at me skeptically. "I think I may have broken my arm."

"Okay well I'm going to give you an X-ray to see if it actually is broken and then we can discuss whether or not you're going to press charges." She states nonchalantly as she checks my vitals and takes my blood.

My eyes widen in shock. "W-what? What are you talking about? I-I can't press charges on stairs." I stammer.

"Look you don't have to say anything right now but a tumble down the stairs doesn't cause that." She said pointing to my neck. I immediately reach up to cover it. "We can talk about it after your X-ray."

* * *

After the X-ray the doctor put a cast on my arm and had me wait in her office so that we could talk.

She comes back in with a few papers and pamphlets in her hands and gives me a sympathetic smile.

"It would seem that congratulations are in order." She stated while looking at the papers.

"W-what do you mean?" I asked hesitantly not knowing what she's talking about.

"Your blood work came back Ms. Lopez, you're pregnant." I feel all the blood drain from my face as I process her words. I shake my head continuously while muttering under my breath.

"No. No no no. I-I can't be! I can't. N-" I nearly jumped out of my seat when I felt a hand on my knee.

"Ms. Lopez please calm down."

"I have to go." I say standing abruptly, almost knocking over my chair. "Thank you doctor. Goodbye."

"Ma'am you really should consider pressing charges."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I say as I open the door to leave.

"Wait!" She exclaims. She holds a small piece of paper in front of me. "Your prescription for prenatal vitamins. I really hope you -"

"Thank you." I interrupt her and leave.

Costa runs up to me clinging on tightly as I step back in the waiting room. Sarah grabs Callie and we go to the car.

"San"

"Please just take us home. I don't want to talk about this, not in front of the children."

"San there's no way I'm letting you guys stay there tonight! I'm gonna book a hotel room and we're gonna stay there."

"I just need to grab some clothes for me and the kids. And you don't need to stay with us at the hotel."

"I know I don't have to. I want to."

I just nod and lean my head against the window.

The ride home was just as quiet as the ride to the hospital. The only noise being Callie's occasional soft snores.

* * *

"Are you sure you should go in alone?" Sarah asks with worry etched all over her face.

"Don't worry. He's not home. I don't know where he went when he left but he probably won't be back until morning." She squeezes my hand and nods.

I go into the house and head straight for the box that has my secret stash of money I have along with the fake documents and IDs for me and the twins. I had them made a few weeks ago because I had planned on leaving Adrian next month when he left for his first away game. I grab 3 suit cases and fill them with some of the twins' clothes and my own. I grab another bag and put some of their toys in it.

I look around my room to see if I missed anything. My eyes land on my jewelry box. I put that in the bag too. Adrian always bought me expensive jewelry, I could sell it for more cash.

Once I'm sure that I have everything, I head back to the car.

"All set?" Sarah asks. I nod with a small smile. "I'm gonna leave a note for Sam. I'll be right back."

I grab her arm as she reaches for the handle. "Don't, umm please don't tell him about this."

"Don't worry San. I won't." She replied. "Be right back."

* * *

Once we get to the hotel, I tuck the kids in and Sarah pulls me into the bathroom. Before I can question her, she pulls me into a painfully tight hug. It isn't until I feel her shaking that I realize she's crying.

"Was this the first time?" She asks with a shaky voice. I shake my head no and she starts crying harder. "Why didn't you tell me San?! I could have helped you!"

I don't say anything back. I just sink further into the hug.

"How long?" I look at her confused so she elaborates, pulling back to look me in the eyes. "How long has he been hitting you Santana?"

I shift my gaze to anywhere other than Sarah until she grabs my chin to face her. "How long San?" She asks softly.

"A few months after the twins were born was the first time." I answer so quietly I'm not even sure if she heard me.

"Oh my god Santana I'm sorry." She says as more tears fill her eyes. "I'm so sorry I didn't help you."

"Its ok don't apologize. You couldn't have known, I hid it well."

"First thing in the morning we're going to the police sta-"

"No."

"But San,"

"I just want to sleep. Please." I plead. She nods her head and walks me out of the bathroom to the bed opposite the twins. She pulls me into the bed with her and holds me impossibly close.

I wait until I feel her breathing even out to remove her arm from my waist. I get out of bed and wake the twins quietly. I know they're tired and I feel so bad about it but I have them grab a bag and we leave the room. I left a note for Sarah along with cash to reimburse her for the hotel room. I ask the front desk when the next shuttle to the airport was coming and he said they run every 20 minutes.

* * *

I went to the ticket booth and asked when the next flight was and where it was going. I was told it was in an hour going to Lima, Ohio.

I've never heard of it, so it seemed like the perfect place to escape to. I bought three tickets and went through security and waited until it was time to board the plane.

* * *

**A/N:**

**I don't think I really like how this chapter came out but I figured you guys have waited long enough so here you go. Any feedback would be appreciated. Again sorry for the wait, I'll try to update faster but I make no promises.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**A/N:**

**Sorry for the wait. I planned on posting this a lot sooner but important things came up that I had to deal with. Hope you like the chapter.**

**To review about Santana not going to the police and possibly being charged with kidnapping, I was going to do something like that but then I figured he's supposed to be a pro football player and I'm sure he wouldn't want his business out and he wouldn't want anyone to know about the abuse. It would definitely ruin his reputation. Plus Santana was scared and wasn't thinking straight. She just knew she had to get out of there.**

**Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. It's much appreciated.**

* * *

"Mami I'm hungry." Callie tells me while she and Costa are jumping on the bed. We've been staying in this motel for the past two days. It's beginning to feel cramped. I need to find an apartment for us soon.

"I know baby, just give me a second to get dressed." I let out a sigh as I struggle to get my shirt over my cast. "And you two stop jumping on the bed."

"Where's daddy?" Callie has been asking me this since we landed. Costa looks at me with a sad expression and then rushes over to give me a hug.

"How about we go to the park today?" I ask, avoiding the question once again. I know she misses him but I just can't raise another child in that home. I just can't. "Come on, we can go get breakfast and then go to the park we saw yesterday near the diner." This time, Callie gives me a big hug, then we head out.

* * *

"Be careful and make sure that mami can see you." I tell them both. "I'll be sitting right here on this bench." I plant kisses on each of their foreheads before I let them run off towards the playground.

As I sit there, I think about all the things I still need to take care of. I have to check them into school, find an apartment, find a job, and call my parents.

I'm not sure if I should do that last one though. I don't think that they'd approve of me just leaving. I'm not even sure what to say to them. Maybe I should have just went to them in the first place. No. No, that's the first place Adrian would look.

I was startled out of my thoughts by someone clearing their throat. The sound causing me to jump.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just asking if I could share the bench with you." The person said.

I turned to see a blonde woman silhouetted by the sun. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was an angel. I couldn't seem to form any coherent words so I settled with nodding and giving her what I hope was a smile. She smiled back and took a seat. I watched out of the corner of my eye as she pulls out a book and a highlighter and begins reading. Eventually she stops and turns to face me.

"Which one is yours?" She asks me, closing her book. "Mine is the blonde one in the princess costume. She'll be five in two weeks." She says with the biggest smile on her face. I can't help but smile back.

"The boy with dark, curly hair all over his head and the girl with the long, dark hair playing with your daughter actually. They're both five."

"Aww twins! I'm Quinn, by the way." She says while holding her hand out.

"Santana." I reply, shaking her hand.

"You're new around here aren't you? I've never seen you around."

"Umm yea, just got here a couple days ago."

"Your husband get transferred out here for work or something?"

"No." I answer too quickly.

"Oh, it's just many people don't just come to Lima for no reason. Hell, most of us are trying to get out of here." She laughs.

"I see. Well I just wanted to, I guess you could say, to start over."

"Well good luck." She says with a smile. "So where are the twins going to school?"

"I don't know yet. I didn't do much planning before we came her. I didn't think we actually would." I answer thankful for the change of subject.

"Well I'm sure Lima Elementary still has a few openings. I could check and let you know."

"Thank you so much. That would be great."

"Mami, can Beth come over so I can show her my princess dollies? Please please please?" Callie asks, racing towards me with Quinn's daughter.

"Maybe when we're more settled in Beth can come over. Okay Callie?" I say, preparing myself for Callie's tantrum. She tries to give me the puppy eyes but I regretfully shake my head. Then she crosses her arms, sticks out her bottom lip, and furrows her eyebrows.

"You're mean, I want daddy." She all but shouts. That hurt. Quinn must have seen the hurt flash through me because she jumps in to save the day.

"Hey Callie, how about this? You and your brother can come over to my house and Beth can show you all her toys and then next time she can go to your house. Is that okay with you?" Callie's smile returns as she nods. "Is that okay with you?" She asks again, this time directed at me. I give her a small nod and mouth 'thank you' to her. She smiles in return.

* * *

"Thanks again for inviting us over." I tell Quinn. "It's just we're still living out of a motel and I haven't really been able to go out and look for a place. And-"

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's no problem." She interrupts my rambling, placing a hand on my arm. It feels like my heart stops. My eyes dart to her hand. She notices this and immediately pulls away with a nervous chuckle. "Umm, so anyway, where are you from?" She asks changing the subject.

"Massachusetts." I reply, remembering the information that's on my fake ID.

"Oh really? I'm a Lima girl, born and raised." She rolls her eyes and I laugh. "You want anything to drink?"

"Umm, water is fine. Thank you." She disappears into the kitchen while I sit on the couch. Costa jumps into my lap while the girls run to is Beth's room.

"No running Beth!" Quinn yells from the kitchen.

"You don't want to go play mijo?" I ask Costa. He just shakes his head and wraps his arms around my neck. I wince a little because it's still a little sore and bruised. "What's wrong?"

"I just wanna stay with you mami." I can feel tears burning in the back of my eyes but I keep them at bay. He's been really clingy since everything happened. He barely plays with his sister and always wants to stay close to me. I'm worried that the situation affected him more than I thought.

"Baby, I'll be fine. Go play with the girls and I'll come check on you in a little bit. I'm okay. Everything is okay." I kiss the top of his head and he jumps down and heads to Beth's room.

Quinn comes back in holding two glasses of water and hands one to me.

"Thank you." I smile.

"No problem. So how did you break your arm?" She asks. I hesitate before replying so she adds, "If you don't mind me asking."

"Oh, I f-fell down the stairs." I stutter. "Umm what are you studying? I noticed at the park that you were reading a textbook." I ask changing the subject.

"Psychology. I'm taking courses online." She replies. "It's way cheaper. Plus I still get to spend time with Beth."

* * *

**Quinn's POV**

"That's nice." There's a hint of sadness in her voice as she replies.

I don't know what it is about her, but she intrigues me. I think she's recently divorced with the way she shot down my suggestion about her husband being transferred. Also when Callie said that she wanted her dad, Santana looked like she wanted to break down and cry.

We continued making small talk. I learned next to nothing about her even though we spent close to an hour talking. She seemed to steer the conversation to my life every time I asked her anything about herself.

I did, however, notice that Costa, her little boy, seemed rather clingy. He came and sat in her lap, hugging her, at least three times within that hour. He barely even looks at me. He just buries his face in Santana's neck and she winces every time he does. It's hardly noticeable when she does but I noticed. Thanks to my psychology classes, I pay a lot of attention to body language.

"We should really get going. Thanks again for allowing us to come over." Santana says.

"Anytime. I'm happy to have you all over whenever you'd like." I reply. She tells the kids it's time to go. "Here, let me have your number so that I can call you about the school and maybe set up a date.. to play. A playdate I mean. You know, for the kids."

I finally get myself to stop talking and we exchange numbers and she leaves.

"Did you have fun with Costa and Callie?" I ask Beth as I pick her up and carry her to the couch.

"Yes mommy. Callie is pretty like a princess and she's funny. She said her daddy is a football player like Uncle Finn! I want her to come to my birthday party!" I completely forgot that I was throwing her a party. I guess now I have a reason to call Santana soon. I smile at her but it falters when I realize something.

"What about Costa sweetie? Don't you want him to come too?" I ask. She shrugs.

"He's too quiet. He didn't even wanna play with us. He just sat by the wall by his self."

"Well maybe he's just shy baby. It wouldn't be fair to invite his sister and not invite him would it?" She shakes her head in response and then runs off to her room. No matter how many times I tell her not to run, she does it anyway.

* * *

**Santana's POV**

"How does pizza sound for dinner?" I ask the twins as we enter the motel room. I receive eager nods from both of them so I grab the phonebook to order.

Once I place the order, I give the twins a bath so that they're ready for bed after dinner. They play with their toys while we wait. I even join in a bit and play with them.

When the pizza arrived, they put their toys away. After we finished eating, they washed their hands and faces, cleaning off the pizza that missed their mouths. Then I turn on the television and let the watch cartoons before I make them go to sleep.

They both fell asleep before whatever cartoon they were watching went off. I tucked them in and gave them both a kiss before I went to take a shower.

In the shower, I think about how fucked up my life is. Maybe I should have just stayed. I shake my head at the ridiculous thought.

I stay in the shower until I feel the water start to get cold. I put on pajamas and brush my teeth. When I open the door, I nearly trip over something. I look down and see Costa laying in front of the bathroom door.

"What's the matter mijo?"

"I had a nightmare and you weren't in bed." He says, sniffling while wrapping his arms around me. I pull him into me and hug him tight.

"Shh. It's okay. Mami is right here."

"Can I sleep with you?" He asks in a small voice.

"Of course. Of course you can." I carry him over to the pull out couch. I lay him down and turn out the lap next to it. I get into bed and pull him close to me. I cuddle him until the sniffling stops and I feel his breathing even out. I kiss his temple before letting myself drift off to sleep.

* * *

**Eh I think maybe the meeting between Quinn and Santana could have been better but I figured you guys would want this sooner rather than later so I just left it as is instead of changing it. Let me know what you think. Good, bad, anything. Thanks.**

**Oh yeah, next chapter will probably be from Sarah and Adrian's POV. Just so you guys know. I'll try to be quick about updating but no promises.**


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